At a Congress rally in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared visibly frustrated as Youth Congress members started chanting slogans in support of his deputy and intra-party rival DK Shivakumar.
The event, organized at Freedom Park under the banner ‘Save NREGA’, was organized to protest the BJP-led Centre’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee Scheme for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were joined on stage by the party’s national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, state ministers, MPs and legislators.
As Siddaramaiah stood up to address the crowd, chants of “DK, DK” began and quickly grew louder. The chief minister scolded the workers, asking, “Who are those shouting ‘DK, DK’?” » An organizer also intervened, urging: “Youth Congress leaders should keep quiet. The chief minister is addressing the gathering. We know who you are. Listen to the CM silently.” Despite these efforts, the slogans continued.
The incident quickly went viral on social media. Former Congress leader Rohan Gupta, now a BJP member, commented in Hindi: “In Bangalore, the Congress scene has once again transformed into a battle arena for the presidency. This is not a public movement; it is a power struggle within the Congress, where neither the people nor development matter. Due to internal conflicts, the Congress is heading towards self-destruction.”
The episode highlighted the ongoing fight between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Several MPs and MLCs are said to have supported the deputy chief minister, who is said to have been promised half of the prime minister’s tenure from November. Both leaders, however, said they would respect the decision of the party high command.
Despite the disruptions, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that he would complete his five-year term, noting that the party high command strongly supports him. On stage, he and Shivakumar also shared cordial moments, indicating that personal relationships remain intact even amid political tensions.
